Four male teenagers were arrested on suspicion of hate crimes after physically and verbally assaulting three men in downtown Bellingham early Friday, July 7, according to Bellingham Police.
“Any hate crime offense is deeply disturbing and intolerable,” Bellingham Police Department Lt. Claudia Murphy said in an email. “What is exceptionally troubling in this case is the young age of the suspects and the violence by which they exhibited their hate, randomly at strangers for no apparent reason other than their perceptions of race and sexual orientation.”
Around 3 a.m. Friday, one of the victims, a 26-year-old male, was sitting outside the Granary Building when four teenagers approached and began to whip him with their T-shirts and other clothing, police said.
The teens began calling him homophobic and racial slurs, then attempted to hit him with an aluminum Razor scooter and a portable speaker, police said.
The man reportedly was able to get the scooter away from the teens and defended himself with it before tossing it into a nearby body of water.
The teens continued to follow and hurl homophobic and racial slurs as he began walking home, according to police. Near Cornwall Avenue and East Maple Street, the teens began picking up large rocks and throwing them at the victim, causing swelling and cuts to the back of his head, elbow and forehead, police said.
The four teens followed the victim to his home, where he called two of his male friends. When the man’s friends — one of whom is Black and part of the LGBTQ+ community — arrived, the teens allegedly threatened to shoot and stab them.
Police arrived at the 1300 block of Commercial Street to interview the victims, who identified the four teen suspects walking down the street.
All four teens were taken into custody on suspicion of a hate crime. The suspects include a 14-year-old from Burlington, a 14-year-old from Ferndale, a 14-year-old from Bellingham and a 17-year-old from Bellingham.
The initial victim told police he would seek medical care for his injuries.
“The Bellingham Police Department is committed to investigating hate crime offenses thoroughly and completely to bring justice to those who are targeted by hate,” Murphy said.
